Annunciator-drop



% FKBJ C. J. HENSCHEL.

ANNUNCIATOR DROP. APPLICATION FILED APR-25, 1919.

Patented Oct. 11,' 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

C. J. HENSCHEL.

ANNUNCIATOR DROP.

APPLICATION FILED APR.25.1919.

Patented 001 11, 1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

HENSCHEL.

'ANNUfiCIATOR DROP.

APPLICATION FILED APR-25, 919- Patented 001 11,1921,

3 S REN-SHEET 3- zwgg w FIG] ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANNUNCIATOR-IDROP.

Application filed April 25,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. HnNscHnL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Annunciator-Drops, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and concise description.

My invention relates to annunciator drops and admits of general use, butis of peculiar value in connection with annunciator drops of a typesuitable for use on shipboard.

My invention contemplates a number of distinct objects among which arethe foll0w- 1n T. To provide mechanism, connected with the drop andcontrollable thereby, for locking the drop shutter positively after eachmovement thereof in either direction, and for positively releasing theshutter before each of its movements.

2. To so construct and arrange the drop shutter and various workingparts that while the working parts are at all times readily accessiblefor inspection and repair, the shutter normally conceals the workingparts from the view of persons casually glancing at the drop incidentalto the normal use thereof.

3. To so construct and arrange the shutter and the rocking armature usedfor actuating the same that while the shutter is stopped in certainexact positions at the limits of its travel, the armature is allowedmore or less freedom of position in starting and stopping, in order toavoid excessive shocks and mechanical strains upon the shutter and itsconnections; due to the inertia and momentum of the armature.

4:. To give the'various parts such form and arrangement as to increasethe reliability and efficiency of the drop, and to enable it to be builtup largely of sheet metal.

5. To mount the shutter to swing horizontally, thus avoiding thenecessity to expend power to lift it in order to restore it to itsnormal position.

6. To discard the use of springs and to render the control of theshutter independ ent of theforce of ravity.

7. To prevent t e shutter from being shifted in position by shocks, jarsor various accidental causes, and to render the control of the dropstrictly electrical.

, Reference is made to the accompanying drawing forming a part of thisspecification,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 11,1921.

1919. Serial No. 292,759.

and in which like letters indicate like parts throughout the severalfigures.

Figure 1 is a plan View of the drop, the shutter appearing in its usual.or normal position.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2, lookmg in the directionindicated by the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of the drop, the shutter beingshown in its abnormal position, as registering a signal.

Fig. 5 is a perspective of the armature shaft, used for actuating theshutter.

F ig. 6 is a side elevation of another form of the drop, in which theshutter is mounted to swing horizontally.

Fig. 7 is an inverted plan or bottom view of the mechanism shown in Fig.6, and in which I use a form of Geneva stop differing slightly from theone appearing in Figs. 2 and 4.

A pair of side plates 6, 7, are made of sheet metal, cut out or stampedout, and serve as a supporting framework for the parts. These sideplates are provided with lugs 8, integral therewith. These lugs are byscrews 9 held against a wall 10.

Two magnets are shown at 11, 12, and be tween these magnets are a numberof cylindrical spacing blocks 13. Bolts 14 extent through the magnetsand spacing blocks. These bolts also extend through washers 15 andthrough the side plates 6, 7, and serve to hold a number of the partstogether.

There are two cores 16, one for each magnet, and each core carries awinding 17.

The magnet 11 is provided with a pair of poles 18, 19, and similarly themagnet 12 has two poles 20, 21.

A revoluble shaft 22 extends through holes in theside plates 6, 7, andis thus j ournaled upon and supported by these plates. Mounted rigidlyupon the shaft 22 are two armatures 23, 24 each extending crosswise ofthe shaft and having enlarged ends; These two armatures are displacedrelatively to each other by the angular distance of thirty degrees.

The armature 23 is associated with the magnet 21 and is located betweenthe poles thereof, the armature 24 being similarly associated with themagnet 12 and disposed between its two poles.

When either magnet is energized the armature associated with it isenergized by portions.

. instance magnetic induction from the poles of the magnet, and takes upsuch position as to extend squarely across the magnet, from pole to polethereof.

When one armature is thus turned into the position just stated, theother armature is turned to an angular distance of thirty degrees awayfrom its corresponding position. Thus one armature rocks the shaft inone direction of rotation and the other armature rocks the shaft in theopposite direction; the extent of the movement being approximatelythirty degrees or one twelfth of a complete revolution.

The armature shaft 22 carries a sector 25, secured rigidly upon it andused as a gear member for actuating the shutter, as hereinafterdescribed. The sector 25 is providedwith two arcuate edge portions 26,27 and with a number of gear teeth 28 located between these two arcuatesections.

The side plates 6, 7, are provided with extending portions 29, integralwith them. A shaft 30 is supported by these extending The shaft supportsa shutter 31, upon which is shown a graphic legend, for Chart room. Theshutter 31 has generally the form of a flat panel, and is provided witha portion 32 serving as a blind for concealing the magnets and otherinternal mechanism of the drop, while the shutter occupies its normalposition as indicated in Fig. 2. That is to say, the portion 32 of theshutter prevents the casual observer from seeing the various workingparts of the drop, yet for the purposes of inspection and repair theworking parts may be seen without difficulty.

The shutter is provided with a pair'of sloping portions 33 andwith apair of edge portions 34', 34 the latter being bent parallel to eachother and having feet 35 which are secured to the blind 32. The parts31, 32, 33, 34 and 35 are made of a single integral piece of sheetmetal, cut or stamped out as desired. The sheet metal may be thin, sayof thirty gage.

The edge portion 34 is so fashioned as to present a pair of bearingsurfaces 36, 37, and a numberof gear teeth 38 interposed therebetween.The bearing surfaces 36, 37 are adapted to fit neatly against therespective surfaces 27', 26 of the sect-or'25, but are concave while thesurfaces 27, 26 are convex. The teeth 38 are shaped to mesh with theteeth 28 of the sector. The material of the sector is comparativelythick.

The rocking movements of the sector 25 cause rocking, movements of theshutter 31, the motion being transmitted through the teeth 28 and 38. p

Thesector 25 as a whole coa'ct's with the adjacent parts 36, 37 38 insuch manner as to act as a Greneva stop. Thus while the shaft 22 rocksback and forth and can stop in positions more or less intermediate, themovements of the shaft 30 are limited with exactness. The result is thatthe shutter is always brought to the same position at the end of itstravel in either direction and independently of the precise position inwhch the shaft is brought to a stop.

The sector 25 and the gear members driven by it are so proportioned thatthe ratio of the gearing is three to one.

When the magnet 11 is energized, the armature 24 assumes a strictlyvertical posi tion and the various movable parts take up theirrespective positions as indicated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

hen, however, gized the armature tical and the various movable partsassume the positions indicated for them in Figs. 4and5.-

The magnets 11, 12 are energized at different moments, each remainingenergized for a moment only. For this purpose the circuits used forenergizing the two magnets are independent of each other.

Thus generally speaking the magnet 12 is used toset the drop, or inother words to actively display a signal, and the magnet 11 is torestorethe drop to its normal condition, so as to make merely a continuouspassive indication. a

In the form of my device appearing in Figs. 6, and 7, the Geneva stop isof a type differing slightly from that'shownin Figs. 2 and 4, and theshutter is mounted to swing horizontally so as to avoid the necessity oflifting it in order to restore it to itsnormal position The shutterappears at 35, and bears. an appropriate legend, in this instance Chartroom. tion 32 serving as a blind, and with sloping portions 37. A partof the shutter 37 is the magnet 12 is ener- 23 becomes strictly ver--The shutter is provided with a porprovided wlth a slot 38and with a pairof arcuate edges 39, 40, extending from this slot] A sector 41 carries apin 42, which enters the slot 38and causes the shutter to rock.

If the shutter is to swing horizontally, however, the position of thelegend Chart room upon the shutter is changed accordingly, as will benoted from Fig.6. In this instance the armatures 23, 24, are displacedrelatively to each other by sixty degrees instead of by thirty degreesas in the other form of Geneva stop.

With the exceptions noted the structure action by the device shown inFigs. 6 and 7 is the same as that already described.

The operation of my device is as follows:

The parts being assembled and arranged as shown and as above described,the magnet 11 is connected in'a circuit under the direct and immediatecontrol of=the operator, themagnet' 12-: being connected in a' circuitcontrollable from some other part of the ship.

Assuming the shutter to be in its normal position as indicated in Figs.1, 2 and 3 if the distant operator closes the circuit through the magnet12 the shutter is immediately shifted to such position as to display, tothe operator in charge of the annunciator, the graphic legend carriedhy'the shutter. That is, the drop assumes the condition indicated byFig. a.

The signal being noted, the operator in charge of the annunciator nowcloses the circuit through the magnet 11. Thereupon the shutter isrestored to its normal position as indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

The action of the Geneva stop is quite important. Its tendency is toprevent undue shocks to certain parts of the mechanism. That is to say,by aid of the Geneva stop the shutter is rapidly shifted from one of itseX- treme positions to the other, and at the limit of its movement ineither direction is brought into an exact and certain position. Thearmatures, however, are not stopped quite so abruptly or in such exactpositions. Thus the armatures have more or less freedom of positions.This means that while the armature shaft always stops in certainproximate positions, its stoppage is not extremely abrupt, and theposition in which it stops at one time is not necessarily the sameposition in which it stops upon a different occasion. Thus while theshutter is actuated by gearing driven by the armature shaft, themovement of the shutter shaft is positiye while that of the armature isimpositive.

The armatures, because of their weight, have considerable inertia andmomentum while in action. If, therefore, the armature shaft was broughtto an exact position and there stopped abruptly, the resulting lostmotion would subject the framework and some of the movable parts tosevere shock. The shutter, because of its lightness, can be stopped andstarted abruptly when brought into exact positions, without such shock.Hence I use the Geneva stop as a convenient means for communicatingmotion from the armature shaft to the shutter shaft. By aid of theGeneva stop, the shutter is given the exact movements described, whilethe armatures and other movable parts are so stopped and started as toavoid undue shock to them or other parts affected by them.

I' do not limit myself to the precise mechanism shown, as variations maybe made therefrom without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. The combination of a movable shutter, a rocking shaft connected withsaid shutter for actuating the same, an armature shaft, means forrocking the same into predetermined positions, and gearing connectedwith said rocking shaft and driven by said armature shaft in order toactuate said rocking shaft, said gearing including means for stoppingsaid rocking shaft positively in exact predetermined positionsindependently of the precise positions in which said armature shaft isstopped.

2. The combination of a movable shutter, a rocking shaft for supportingand actuating said shutter, an actuating shaft, means for turning thesame into predetermined positions, and mechanism connected with both ofsaid shafts for the double purpose of enabling said rocking shaft to bedriven by said actuating shaft and of locking said rocking shaft inexact predetermined positions independently of the precise positions inwhich said actuating shaft is stopped.

3. In an annunciator device the combination of an actuating shaft,electrically operated mechanism for rocking said shaft and stopping thesame impositively and in positions determined approximately but notexactly, a display shutter, and mechanism connected with said actuatingshaft and controllable by movements thereof, said mechanism being alsoconnected with said display shutter for the double purpose of actuatingsaid display shutter and of positively locking said display shutter inpredetermined positions when said positions are reached by said shutter.

4.. In. a device of the character described the combination of a shuttermade of sheet metal and having a display panel and a pair of supportingwalls integral with said display panel, a rocking shaft secured to saidsupporting walls in order to support said shutter and to actuate thesame, an actuating shaft, electrically operated mechanism for causingsaid actuating shaft to rock and mechanism connected with said rockingshaft and with said actuating shaft and driven by said actuating shaft,for the double purpose of driving said rocking shaft and locking thesame in predetermined exact positions.

CHARLES J. HENSCHEL.

